Part 1
When your home is in the UK and your ‘therapy’ is in France, you can become far more aware of the beauty and seasonal changes around you, when visiting. We speak with Fiona, the owner of the very successful Equestrian Centre, Barleyfields in the UK. Fiona has kindly agreed to remind us, what we sometimes overlook when living in France full time. Its good to be reminded just how lucky we are to be here!
 Barleyfields is a purpose built riding school and livery yard which was built in 1994. We are British Horse Society approved and are also recommended by them as a “Where to Train” centre for students wishing to train for BHS Exams and NVQ Awards.We have a large selection of friendly horses and ponies to suit every standard. There are 8 fully qualified members of staff including BHSI, BHSII and BHSAI.
|
Firstly I would like to introduce myself. I am an equestrian centre owner/proprietor/dogsbody in the Midlands of England. I am totally passionate about horses and despite a few moans, do actually enjoy my business, which has been running for 17 years.
I have approximately 50 horses of all shapes and sizes, to suit all abilities and ages. We have approximately 400 clients a week and also run shows and competitions alongside the riding school. My first husband was a dairy farmer and has left a legacy with me of a passion for growing grass and beautiful gardens. My current husband (gosh, this sounds like I am thinking of changing – I’m definitely not!!), has a farming and horsey background too and so can share this passion with me.
This spring, as I am sure you are aware, was a very late and cold one in England. We slurried all our land relatively early March as we have possibly had the driest spring in many a year, followed by compound fertiliser. The fields grew extremely slowly and we were able to turn-out during the day quite early. Finally, some warmer weather came, albeit briefly and the grass went berserk. With regret, this didn’t suit the horses and I ended up with three colics in one week – costly with the vet and heartache for my favourite school horse who had to spend the night in the hospital! However, we have brilliant vets and she was returned as good as new the next day. Now I am nervous of putting her back on the rich grass, so she is in the “diet” paddock! We have managed to turn out fulltime approximately half of the horses for the summer but I have lost a bit of courage after my colic incidents on the rich top land. I continue to turn them out during the day when they are not working and hope to have them out within the next couple of weeks – poor horses, they do so look forward to the summer grazing!
It was April for our first visit to France this year. My husband had had a lot ill-health during the winter and I felt like a 5-year old, full of excitement at the impending visit to our lovely house. My excitement was not disappointed – like us, the Loire had also suffered a late spring but the beauty was still there. One of the tantalising sights of April is usually the wisteria which drapes itself around our derelict cottage with all the grace and charm that I have ever wished for. With regret, it wasn’t out when I arrived – one of the hazards of a late spring! When travelling around the region I never cease to be amazed at the beauty of both the fields and the vegetables and fruits grown in the area – not forgetting the vineyards, of course. My favourite drive from the house to the beautiful white-stoned town of Saumur takes us through a massive variation of countryside which, during the spring, has all the colours you could wish for. We start our journey with the apple orchards – pink blossom trying very hard to poke through – due to the late spring we were not able to see the full “pinkness” to which the people living in the area would be lucky enough to see a week or so later. After the apple orchards come the thick and dense woods with a variety of wonderful trees, both young and mature. The woods in France are beautifully kept, with all the ditches and road-sides mown and cleaned out without fail on a regular basis which, sadly, does not happen in England. There is a wonderful variety of brackens and wild flowers with huge clumps of mistletoe hanging in a circular fashion high up amongst the trees (if I could think of a good way to transport this at Christmas time it would make a great little business!) Following the woods come the vineyards, standing in rows like soldiers going into battle – not a twig out of place; not a leaf growing in the wrong direction – total perfection! The vines in April were still bare, no signs of life yet!
Following the vines come the delicate seed-beds, meticulously worked, in readiness for row upon row of vegetables. Some I can identify and some appear to be strangely French! The asparagus is the most fascinating, growing underground and producing white asparagus with an amazing taste and freshness not found in England. All of France seems to have an obsession with growing vegetables which, I think, is truly amazing – people in France have more time to enjoy the simple pleasures of life that we do not have time for in England. I love to watch the progression of the vegetables through the summer as the seasons change and the vegetables mature.
Following the vegetables come the bridges. We have a choice on our approach to Saumur – to the left we can drive through the commercial area where you can buy everything from electrical goods to a great “help-yourself” Chinese restaurant followed by two old bridges over the different parts of the Loire, as it has divided at this point; with, in my opinion, one of the prettiest views in the world of the white-stoned buildings and the most beautiful fairy-tale chateau to the left of the second bridge. If you take the right entrance to Saumur you approach over the Cadre Noir bridge, currently being widened, which appears to be taking for ever – no difference between England and France then! However, the stunning views of Saumur are still there to the left of the bridge.
We found a new little vineyard to try, as is our custom – we often receive requests from friends to bring supplies back to the UK for weddings, christenings and the like and this time it was the turn of our best friends’ daughter who is getting married in August. We managed to find some lovely white wine at extremely reasonable money, much to everybody’s delight. So the “wine run” was well underway again.
Out of my French obsession back to the grindstone of daily business. Having completed all our spring BHS exams, which we host here, and the NVQ assessments plus the Riding and Road Safety, I can now enjoy a small lull of setting up jumps for shows, both Showjumping and working hunter, on what is apparently my day off – what’s that?!
With a new government in England who knows what the future holds financially – we will wait and see!
Continue the story, read Parts 2 & 3…….
